"Ah! Nothing seems to be working," exclaimed an elderly man seated behind a weathered desk. In front of him lay a draft paper and a pen, adorned with several ink splatters. His elbows were firmly affixed to the desk, and his hands ran frustratedly through his hair. Every attempt to write encountered a mental block, leaving him both frustrated and annoyed. His gaze shifted across the desk, landing on an open letter that served as a looming reminder. The letter compelled him to generate a fresh story idea.
"Grandpa?" called out a young boy.
"Huh? Takagi, you know you're not allowed to come in here," he finished with a sigh.
"Play!" the boy exclaimed.
"You want to play?" the elderly man responded with a smile.
"Yes!" the boy cheered.
The old man rose from his chair, believing a breath of fresh air and some distraction would be beneficial. He informed the boy that they would head to the nearby park.
"Grandpa, look! It's a frog!"
"Hey! Would you look at that! It's quite an unusual one, huh!"
The two spent the remainder of the hour enjoying themselves, engaging in games like hide and seek, their personal favorite, and tag.
"We should head back to the house, Takagi; it's getting dark," the old man suggested.
"Okay!"
The elderly man observed as his grandson, Takagi, zigzagged along the path home. His affection for his grandson surpassed everything else in the world. Nothing else could evoke such profound happiness. However, it seemed that for little Takagi, the joy of running about and playing games outweighed spending time with his grandfather.
"Hey, don't go too far!" the old man exclaimed, attempting to catch up with the energetic 3-year-old Takagi.
"Grandpa! Read me a story!" Takagi said after being tucked into bed.
"A story? But I've read you every one of them. Would you like an old one?"
"No, create a new one!" Little Takagi said happily.
"Oh, a new one? Well, you're going to have to help me. I'm not really on a good streak. Tell you what, what's in your world?"
"Um… how about elves and angry beasts? Ouu and monsters. Magic and dog and cat people!" Takagi said, letting his hands rise above his head, imagining the world.
"Dog people?" The grandpa chuckled. "Okay okay, what will the world be called?"
"Dorazill!" Takagi mispronounced.
"Brazil? That's an interesting name for a world; that's a real place, you know. Hmm, what about Drasil! After the great Norse sacred tree, Yggdrasil!"
"Whoa, that sounds cool!" Shouted Takagi.
"Alright, are you ready to hear your story, Takagi?" Said the old man.
"Yes!"
Takagi always enjoyed the stories his grandfather read him, but this night was different. A new story Takagi hadn't heard before. The excitement banished sleepiness away.
"In a world much like our own, there exist lands that boast beautiful trees, wonderful forests, and jungles that rival our own. Nature took its time to decorate the lands as best as she could. Trees that reach unbelievable heights, mountains taller than our highest, life more vibrant, and monsters that crawl in dark corners. The world is twice the size of our own and filled with plenty of continents, but there are 5 major continents that are the most important in our story: Alfall, Karavarri, maybe Rock gro, Okatio, or wait, no, Okadio, and Fanderfall…"
"Whoa, those names are cool!" Takagi interrupted.
"You like them?" The grandpa said with a smile. Takagi replied with a quick nod.
"… each continent was home to different races: elves, orcs, dark elves, dwarves, lizard men, and man-beasts. One particular year, a young orc prince in a kingdom located in the continent of Okadio was to be crowned king after his father's disappearance. Unexpectedly, his crown was stolen by a mysterious person. In search of his crown, the prince set out on a hunt. He left his kingly duties to his family until his return. He crossed rivers, mountains, forests, jungles, and even oceans. He explored every place he could in search of the crown. In his travels, he logged every interesting thing he could. He had never been outside the castle walls before, and everything was new to him. Rather than search with hate and desperation, he learned to enjoy the hunt and take in every moment and scenery he came across. Every step of the way, he got a hint as to where the crown would be next; rather than be 2 steps ahead, he loved being two steps behind. 'Another adventure,' he would say with a smile. He started to think that the missing crown of his father was a ploy from either his family or kingdom to get rid of him, but he didn't care. 'Today I found a cave that contained crystals that glow even in the dark,' he wrote in his log book. The guards who accompanied him abandoned him and his mad-hunt for his father's crown. Only 5 people who he no longer considered guards but good friends followed him. They all loved the adventure but most of all were loyal to the prince. One day they all stopped being 2 steps behind and now only 1 step behind. 'Woah, my prince, look up,' one of his friends said. They all looked up in amazement. The sky was full of glowing green streaks similar to our world's northern lights. They all loved it, the lights, the adventure, everything. If they could die that day, they would die happy. In a deep forest, they ran carelessly on a chilly day. A clue was left behind in the town before the forest, 'there was a person carrying a crown, they headed towards the path in the forest,' said a street salesman. 'You hear that?' said the prince before stopping and checking his surroundings. In a small rock sat an older man. The prince walked closer and shed a tear and sat next to the old man. The old man was breathing heavily with a giant smile on his face. He held the crown in his hand and handed it over to the prince. 'So you stole the crown?' said the prince. 'Did you enjoy the world, my son? How was it?' said the old man. 'It was amazing,' the prince said. The old man asked to tell him about his adventures and so the prince began to tell them. The prince continued his stories and finished his last one by crying. His father, the king, had passed away with a smile. The prince finally understood why the crown was stolen. It made him happy and he hugged his father for the very last time. 'Takagi, are you crying?'
"Grandpa! Why did the father die?" Takagi said while weeping.
"You didn't like the story because of that?"
"No! He shouldn't have to die because of that," Takagi cried.
His grandfather chuckled, "a good story has obstacles, tension, or even great sorrow. A story can be many things. Thanks to the father of the orc prince, he was able to travel the world and make some loyal companions."
"Whatever, good people shouldn't have to die," pouted Takagi.